In recent years, efforts have been devoted to controlling release characteristics of various ingredients in chewing gum. Most notably, attempts have been made to delay the release of sweeteners and flavors in various chewing gum formulations to thereby lengthen the satisfactory chewing time of the gum. Delaying the release of sweeteners and flavors can also avoid an undesirable overpowering burst of sweetness or flavor during the initial chewing period. On the other hand, some ingredients have been treated so as to increase their rate of release in chewing gum.
In addition, other efforts have been directed at perfecting the use of high-potency sweeteners within the chewing gum formulation, to thereby increase the shelf-life stability of the ingredients, i.e. the protection against degradation of the high-potency sweetener over time.
One such high-potency sweetener is sucralose. This high-potency sweetener gives chewing gum a fast, strong release that is not desirable. Methods of treating the high-potency sweetener to delay the release of sweetness in balance with the chewing gum flavor would therefore be a definite improvement.
The use of sucralose as an artificial sweetener was disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,343,934 and U.K. Patent Nos. 2,065,646 and 2,065,648. Combinations of sucralose with aspartame were disclosed in U.K. Patent No. 2,153,651.
The use of sucralose in chewing gum has been disclosed in other patents.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,495,170 discloses sweetener mixtures for use in foods, beverages and pharmaceuticals. The mixtures are of sucralose and aspartame, saccharin, and acesulfame K. U.S. Pat. No. 4,389,394 discloses the use of chlorodeoxysucrose derivatives in chewing gum to prevent dental caries. Chlorinated sucrose derivatives and their use in food stuffs, including chewing gum, are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,435,440; 4,549,013; and 4,612,373.
U.K. Patent No. 2,154,850 discloses beverages sweetened with sucralose and cyclamate (among others).
U.K. Patent No. 2,185,674 discloses combinations of thaumatin and sucralose (among others) to stimulate growth of farm animals.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,820,528 discloses co-dried sucralose and acid saccharin to prolong sweetness release in chewing gum.
Other patents disclose how a sweetener like aspartame can be physically modified to stabilize and/or control the release rate of the sweetener in chewing gum.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,978,537 and EPO Publication 0 422 820 disclose the use of polyvinyl acetate in fiber spinning techniques to provide for the gradual release of an active agent such as sucralose for use in chewing gum.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,885,175 discloses wax granulation of active ingredients such as sucralose for use in chewing gum.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,919,941 discloses a chewing gum containing a delayed release protein sweetener and method for preparing the same.
European Patent Publication No. 0 434 321 discloses an encapsulated sweetener delivery system comprising a high intensity sweetener, such as chloro derivatives of sucrose, coated in a hydrophobic inner coating and a hydrophilic polymer as an outer coating. Some suggested outer coatings include cellulose and derivatives thereof.
European Patent Publication No. 0 267 809 discloses a sweetening composition composed of sucralose combined with a water soluble stabilizing agent such as maltodextrin.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,933,190 discloses chewing gum with enhanced sweetness using a sweetener, such as chloro derivatives of sucrose, encapsulated in an emulsifier/polyvinyl acetate system and coated with a hydrophillic coating selected from a group consisting of cellulose and derivatives thereof.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,971,797 and European Patent Publication No. 0 375 122 disclose a thermally stabilized sucralose composition made by cocrystallizing sucralose with cyclodextrin.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,597,970 to Sharma et al. teaches a process for producing an agglomerated sweetener wherein the sweetener is dispersed in a hydrophobic matrix consisting essentially of lecithin, a glyceride, and a fatty acid or wax having a melting point between 25.degree. and 100.degree. C. The method disclosed uses a spray-congealing step to form the sweetener-containing matrix into droplets, followed by a fluid-bed second coating on the agglomerated particles.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,515,769 and 4,386,106, both to Merrit et al., teach a two step process for preparing a delayed release flavorant for chewing gum. In this process, the flavorant is prepared in an emulsion with a hydrophilic matrix. The emulsion is dried and ground and the particles are then coated with a water-impermeable substance.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,230,687 to Sair et al. teaches a process for encasing an active ingredient to achieve gradual release of the ingredient in a product such as chewing gum. The method described involves adding the ingredient to an encapsulating material in the form of a viscous paste. High-shear mixing is used to achieve a homogeneous dispersion of the ingredient within the matrix, which is subsequently dried and ground.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,139,639 to Bahoshy et al. teaches a process of "fixing" aspartame by co-drying (by spray drying or fluid-bed coating) a solution containing aspartame and an encapsulating agent, such as gum arabic, to thereby surround and protect the aspartame in the gum during storage.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,384,004 to Cea et al. teaches a method of encapsulating aspartame with various solutions of encapsulating agents, including cellulose derivatives, using various encapsulation techniques, such as spray drying, in order to increase the shelf-stability of the aspartame. U.S. Pat. No. 4,634,593 to Stroz et al. teaches a method for producing controlled release sweeteners for confections, such as chewing gum. The method taught therein involves the use of an insoluble fat material which is mix mulled with the sweetener.